APOD 3.7

Red Snow Moon Over Edmonton

(28 Feb. 2011)

This picture shows the moon rising above Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. This is a very nice picture of the red moon, which seems very large compared to the buildings due to the the angular size of the Moon and the angular width of nearby buildings. It was very cold when this picture was taken. It was - 25 C that steam is rising from oil refineries as we can see in the pictures. The moon appears red because the blue light is scattered by Earth's atmosphere leaving the red. The atmosphere can even make the moon seem a little compressed. There is an effect called the Etruscan vase, where the moon looks so compressed that it resembles a vase.

This full moon is called the full Snow Moon. As we have learned how different cultures interpret the stars and moon, many cultures have different names for this moon. Because the heaviest snow usually falls during February, Native American tribes of the north and east often called this month's full moon the Full Snow Moon. There are other tribes that call it the Full Hunger or Little Famine Moon because it was hard to hunt during the winter. The Celt's call it the Moon of Ice and the Chinese call it the Budding Moon because of the coming of spring.  The next full moon in March is called the Full Worm Moon because the warm temperature will thaw the ground and the earthworms appear calling back the robins. Other names for it is the Full Crow moon because cawing crows signaled the end of winter. It was interesting to read about the different name for the full moons and where the names originated. It really showed how cultures were influenced by the skies.